


Cross the Line

by BigBlueKitty



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 07:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9310595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBlueKitty/pseuds/BigBlueKitty
Summary: None of this was supposed to happen. All this time, thinking she could undo any mistake, thinking she'd always get a second chance, but she was wrong.Or was she?After Max saves William and enters a new timeline, she discovers that she doesn't have her powers anymore. But that doesn't mean she can't still change the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> From a tumblr prompt: Life is Strange AU AU - When Max saves Chloe's dad and enters the new timeline, she discovers that she doesn't have her powers anymore. Title taken from [Cross the Line by AKINO with bless4](http://musicinanime.tumblr.com/post/152919394910/cross-the-line-akino-with-bless4-anime-izetta)

None of this is right.

None of this was supposed to happen. She was trying to do something good. How did it all end up so fucked?

"I can't... kill you with an overdose."

"Max, I'm dying from my illness, not my dosage," Chloe says, so gently Max almost doesn't recognize her voice. This isn't the Chloe she knew; this isn't the Chloe she left. "This accelerates the process. I'd rather go out on a wave than a rock. And I want my _best friend_ to help me out..."

Max feels her throat close as tears well in her eyes. She can't... kill Chloe. Even this Chloe, no matter how much she's suffering, she can't just...

Max swallows thickly. She has to struggle to keep her voice from shaking as she forces the words out. "I am going to help you, but not like that. You have to believe me, Chloe."

"Why?" Chloe whispers and the hurt in her eyes is too much for Max to bear. "You're just bailing on me like everybody else. Why don't you go now? You've been wanting to since you got here, right? So go and don't come back."

Max thumbs the photograph in her hand, the one that started this whole mess in the first place. Is this what it means to save Chloe? Does William really have to...?

"Chloe," Max whispers to herself. Even if it means letting William... die, she has to save Chloe. She has to. "I am never leaving you again."

Chloe doesn't look up. Max focuses on the photograph, ignoring the tears that drip from her lashes, and waits for the familiar sensation of burning to take over her.

But it doesn't.

Nothing happens.

Max feels her heart drumming in her chest and tries harder but there's nothing - no burning, no red tinted world as the earth itself reverses to accommodate her, nothing.

There's nothing.

_'Shit!'_

Max stands abruptly. Her hands shake around the photo. "This can't be happening..."

Max reaches out her hand and tries to go back but she can't. Nothing's happening and she can't go back anymore and how is she supposed to fix this if she can't go back anymore?

She spares a glance at Chloe, now asleep in her bed, her best friend, the girl she loves, the girl she'd do anything for. But she can't do anything anymore. She can't...

Max bolts from the house, tears streaming down her face, William's concerned shouts forgotten behind her. She did this. She caused all of this. She has to find a way to fix it; there _has_ to be a way.

She runs until she can't anymore, as far as she can until her lungs burn and her legs give out and all she can do is sit on the curb and cry, photograph clenched in her fist like a lifeline.

Max's phone buzzes in her pocket. She answers reflexively, hoping beyond all hope that it's Chloe and that this has all just been a nightmare.

It's not Chloe.

"Maxine?" the voice on the other line says softly.

It's Victoria.

"Maxine, are you all right?"

"Victoria?" Max voice is strangled and hoarse. She tries clearing her throat but it's no use.

"You sound like shit," Victoria says but there's no real bite to it. Instead she sounds... concerned? Worried?

The urge to make a snappy retort is crushed by the sheer weight of the world crashing down around her. "Victoria," Max croaks, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "I screwed up."

"Sweetie, where are you?"

This whole thing is so surreal. Victoria shouldn't be this nice, least of all to her, but Max can't find it in her to care right now. She needs someone, anyone, any way to make this right. "Victoria, I need your help."

"I'll help you, Maxine, but I need to know where you are first, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Max never thought Victoria’s car pulling up beside her would be the best thing that could happen to her in a day but it is.

She’s had a few minutes to calm down since the call but that doesn’t stop her from sobbing all over again as soon as Victoria steps out of the car.

Victoria wraps her arms around Max’s shoulders and it’s the weirdest, warmest, sweetest sensation Max has ever felt. She has no idea what to do with her own arms so she just cries all over Victoria’s soft, cashmere sweater. “Hey, there, everything’s fine,” Victoria whispers, rubbing soothing circles on Max’s back. “Come on, let’s go back to my room and you can tell me what happened.”

Max is too stunned and too exhausted to do anything but let herself be pulled into the car. There’s so much she wants to say, so many things wrong with this picture, but she feels so grateful for Victoria’s warm hands and soft voice.

How in the world did this happen?

* * *

Max sits on Victoria’s bed, too numb to feel strange about all this anymore.

It’s different, the room – softer somehow. Maybe it’s just the light from the setting sun shining through the window but the room certainly feels different. There’s a small plant on the desk that hadn’t been there before and a dark blue blanket draped across the bed that looks too cheap to belong here.

There’s a photo on the bedside table – a framed selfie of Victoria and Nathan with Max in the middle.

Max picks up the photo and runs her fingers along the glass. It’s so weird seeing something other than a sneer on either of their faces but here, they’re smiling. Here, they look… happy. So does she.

Victoria taps Max’s head with a proffered water bottle. “I can’t believe you made me get that picture framed,” she says, something like nostalgia coloring her words. “I look like shit.”

“No, you don’t,” Max says without thinking. It’s true, though. She looks beautiful.

Even if they were never going to be friends, Max could admit that Victoria is, at the very least, incredibly pretty.

But they’re not enemies here, are they? It certainly doesn’t seem like it.

_‘Everything is so fucked up.’_

“You always say that,” Victoria says. She takes a seat beside Max. “So, what was that back there? First you look totally out of it, then you bolt without a word, and then you call me crying in the middle of some random residential neighborhood? What’s up with you today?”

Max takes a sit from the water bottle and tries not to look too much like she’s stalling for time. She can’t just go back if she messes this up, can she. “It wasn’t random,” she finally says.

Victoria’s eyes widen just slightly. “You went to see Chloe?”

Max arches a brow. “You know about Chloe?”

“Well, duh. You’ve only told me about her three hundred million times.”

Max has to take a second to let her brain catch up to the rest of her. Why the hell would she ever tell Victoria anything personal? And more so, why would Victoria even listen?

“How was she?” Victoria asks, nothing but concern in her voice.

Max snorts without humor. “Dying,” she says.

“Oh, honey.” Victoria wraps an arm around Max’s waist and all Max can do is lean on her. This is so weird and everything is so fucked up right now and she has no idea how to feel about any of this. What should she do? What _can_ she do?

“It’s not supposed to be like this,” Max mutters.

“I know, it sucks,” Victoria says, that soothing voice so out of place but it’s exactly what Max needs right now. “I’m sorry. Bad things happen to good people. But at least you got to see her.”

‘Got to see her’ but it wasn’t her. It wasn’t Chloe, not really. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She wasn’t supposed to be like that; nothing was supposed to be like this.

“No.” Max sits up, letting Victoria’s arm fall away from her. “It’s not supposed to be like this. I did this.”

Victoria bites her lip. “I know you’re upset, Maxine, but you didn’t-“

“I did though!” Max jumps off the bed and starts to pace, unable to keep still. Everything overflows, words spilling out of her mouth before she can catch them. “I went back and tried to change things. I tried to make things different for her but all I did was fuck it up even more and now I can’t go back.”

“Maxine?” Victoria calls. “Maxine, what’s going on?”

“It’s Max!” she snaps and she knows it’s not fair the instant the words leave her mouth but she’s too wired to care. “My grandmother doesn’t even call me Maxine!”

“Okay!” Victoria shouts in return, jumping up from the bed. “Fine! Max then! Why are you freaking out so much?”

“Don’t you get it? I changed everything and now I can’t fix it!”

Victoria grabs Max’s shoulders, effectively stopping her pacing. “What the hell are you talking about? What the fuck has gotten into you?”

Max stares at the girl in front of her, tall and surprisingly strong and this is so _fucked up_ but she can’t…

Max grips the hands on her shoulders. “I’m not from here,” she says firmly. She can’t do this alone.

Victoria blinks, clearly unsure how to respond. “Uh, yeah you are? You were born here, weren’t you?”

“No, I mean…” Shit, how is she going to explain this without sounding absolutely crazy? “I mean, I’m not from this universe. I… I did something. I went back in time and I changed something and now everything is different and I don’t know how to go back.”

Victoria is silent for a moment. Then another. Then she snorts. “Max, I know you love sci-fi but isn’t this a bit much?”

“I’m not joking!” Max shouts, anger seeping into her veins like acid. She doesn’t have time for this! “Haven’t you noticed anything weird around here? The bizarro weather? That freak snow storm? What about the eclipse?”

Victoria’s face drops. “Well, yeah, things are weird sometimes but that doesn’t mean-“

“How about the dead animals? Whales beaching themselves? That’s not just a coincidence.”

“Max, you’re scaring me.”

“I’m telling you, Victoria. I’m. Not. From. Here.”

“And I’m telling you. That. Is. Crazy.” Victoria sighs. “Look, we all have things we regret, like… like what happened to Kate…”

“Kate?” No, no, no, but Max stopped Kate from jumping. She…

“I wish I could go back and change it, but I can’t. I can only do better now, that’s what you told me…”

Max shakes her head. But no, Kate… She… “W-what do you mean? Kate’s fine, I… I saved her. She… she’s not…”

Victoria looks down, face stricken. “Kate’s dead, Max. You saw her jump. We all did…”

No. No, no, no this isn’t right. First Chloe, and now… This wasn’t supposed to be like this.

“But I…” Max trails off. How could this happen? How could _any_ of this happen?

“Max, you know I regret everything that happened, but I can’t just go back in time and fix it. I have to move forward. You do, too.”

No.

No. There’s got to be a way to fix this. There has to be.

“No,” Max says resolutely. “This is my fault and I can fix it. I’m going to fix it but I need your help.”

“Maxine…”

“Whoa what the fuck?” someone shouts from outside.

“Dude, check it out!”

“Freaky!”

Max and Victoria exchange glances before making a beeline to the windows.

The sun’s completely set by now but the sky isn’t nearly as dark as it should be. Overhead, two full moons cast shadows over the students gathered in the courtyard.

“What the fuck?” Victoria whispers.

Max bites her lip so hard she tastes blood. What the fuck is happening?

She glances at the petrified Victoria, an enemy in her own world but her closest friend in this one. “You said you had things you regret,” she says. “If you had the chance to go back and do it over, wouldn’t you?”

Victoria turns slowly, eyes wide and mouth agape. “Max, tell me everything,” she says.


	2. Chapter 2

“You realize how crazy you sound right now, right?”

“Victoria, there are two moons outside. We passed up crazy a long time ago.”

Victoria sighs heavily, scrubbing her hands over her face.

“Hey, at least you didn’t have to live through it,” Max says.

“Yeah, well, I’m not completely convinced you did either,” Victoria snaps.

Max internally groans. “Yeah, well, unless you want the earth exploding or something, you’re going to have to at least play along, okay?”

Victoria grumbles something incomprehensible under her breath. “You know, just because I liked Madoka Magica, it doesn’t mean I actually wanted my life to become an anime.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

In one motion, Victoria reaches into her trash can, pulls out a pink box, and throws it at Max. “You’re the one who got me the Ultimate Madoka figure, you bitch!”

Max swats at the box but it still hits her in the face. “I already told you, I don’t remember anything because I’m not from here!”

Victoria crosses her arms and pouts. “What, so we’re not friends where you’re from or something?”

Max bends down to pick up the box. It’s covered in Japanese text, save an English title, and has a little pink haired anime girl at the bottom. The price is crossed out but it's definitely three digits long. She really got something like this for Victoria?

_‘Were we really that close?’_

Victoria’s pout falls further into a disheartened frown. “We weren’t, were we.” It’s not really a question.

Max shakes her head. “More like enemies.”

Victoria bites her lip. “I want my Maxine back,” she mumbles.

Max frowns. She supposes she can’t blame Victoria. Still, it stings a little anyway. “If you want her back, then help me.”

“I still think you’re crazy,” Victoria says. “But I’ll help you. What do we need to do?”

“I…” Max trails off. What _do_ they need to do? “I have no idea.”

Victoria grabs the nearest pillow and hurls it at Max.

“Would you stop throwing things at me!”

“No!” Victoria grabs another pillow and throws it but it misses by a foot. “This hasn’t exactly been easy for me either, you know! First you tell me time travel is real and then you tell me my best friend isn’t really my best friend anymore and that the earth might explode if you don’t go back in time and make sure we never become friends in the first place!”

“Yeah, well,” Max throws the pillow back as hard as she can. It hits the wall and flops unceremoniously to the bed. “Try finding out you killed two people already and more are probably going to die because you fucked up that badly!”

“Whatever, Homura! Nothing’s going to change if we don’t even know where to start!”

“I don’t even understand your reference! That never happens to me!”

“Watch the anime! Look!” Victoria jumps up, throwing her arms up in frustration. “Whatever! Just… We need to start somewhere, okay! So where? What were you doing in your timeline before you fucked it?”

Max sighs. How did the other Max ever manage to put up with this shit? “We were looking for someone,” she says. “Kind of. Rachel Amber.”

Victoria arches a brow. “Rachel Amber? What does she have to do with any of this?”

“She’s missing in my timeline, too. Me and Chloe, we were trying to find her. And figure out what happened to Kate.”

“I thought you said Kate was alive in your world.”

“She’s only alive because I talked her off the roof. But here…” Here, that didn’t happen. Here, she jumped. Here, she’s dead.

Everything’s so fucked up here.

“What happened to her?” Victoria says slowly. “I mean, in your world.”

Max drops heavily onto the bed. “Same thing that happened here, I’m assuming. She went to a Vortex Club party and got dosed. She said she was taken somewhere bright and white but she didn’t know where. She woke up outside her dorm the next morning.”

Victoria sits beside Max. Her hands shake in her lap. “She was drugged?” She scrubs her hands over her face. “I can’t believe… I never even considered…”

The urge to comfort her is almost overpowering. Even here, even knowing that this hasn’t changed, that Victoria still…

Max places a hand on the small of Victoria’s back. Despite everything, she’d been there when Max needed her. She was there for Taylor, too, in another life.

In another life… If Kate was dosed here, too, does that mean…

“Nathan,” Max says. “Nathan’s the one who dosed her in my timeline.”

Victoria stares at her for what must be a solid minute, face going from shocked to confused to almost angry. “Um, I don’t know what Nathan’s like in your world, but there’s no way he’d do something like that here,” she says with so much conviction, Max almost believes her.

“What makes you so sure?” Max asks. “Things might be different but they can’t be that different. The Prescotts still own this town and Nathan is still unstable at best- Ow!”

Victoria cuts Max off with a hard pinch to her arm. “Don’t say that. He’s worked really hard to get where he is! You of all people should know that.”

Max groans, rubbing her arm. “I know the whole ‘I’m from another universe’ thing is going to take some getting used to, but you really need to get used to it.”

Victoria frowns but doesn’t apologize. “He’s taking his medication and seeing his therapist twice a week, you know. And he stopped doing drugs because you told him to.”

“Because I…? Wait, what?”

Victoria shrugs. “He listens to you, you know. He says you give good advice or whatever.”

Max’s brain takes a second to get up to speed. Nathan Prescott… listens to her? He thinks she gives good advice?

That’s… kinda gross actually.

Max shudders. Nathan Prescott listening to her, what the fuck? _‘Oh god, what if we’re…’_

“Me and Nathan, we’re not like…?” Max can’t even make herself say it. It’s too gross and weird and bizarre and Max needs to not be in this timeline anymore.

Victoria snorts. “Calm down, would you? You don’t need to worry about that; Nathan’s even gayer than I am.”

Max rubs her temples. She really didn’t need to know that but that’s one worry eliminated at least. “Either way,” she begins slowly. “He’s the only lead we had in my timeline. It couldn’t hurt to talk to him here.”

Victoria nods. She stands and grabs two coats, tossing one to Max. “He’ll be at the party.”

Max tilts her head. “Uh…?”

“The End of the World party?” Victoria clarifies. “We were going to go together before you had your meltdown. Was that not a thing in your timeline?”

Oh, shit, that’s right. That was _tonight_?

“It was a thing,” Max says, putting on the coat. The sleeves are too long but it’s soft. “I just wasn’t invited.” Well, not at _first_.

Victoria clicks her tongue. “Huh, so Courtney doesn’t like you where you’re from, either.”

Max shrugs. “Guess some things really do never change.”

“Well, whatever. You’re invited now. So let’s go.”

Victoria grabs Max’s hand and drags her through the door. Good to see she’s still as demanding as ever.

* * *

Max has never been one for parties and now she knows why. The End of the World party is full of drunk assholes all crowded into a room together while loud music and weed smoke assault her ears and nose. Max wonders, not for the first time, how the hell alternate her put up with this shit.

“He’ll be in the VIP section!” Victoria shouts over all the noise.

They weave their way through the bodies, Victoria’s hand clasped firmly around Max’s. Strobe lights flash and Max steps on more than a few empty solo cups, alternating between annoyed and disgusted that students could be partying when Kate’s dead and there are two moons outside. How the hell is this a school sanctioned event, anyway?

_‘End of the World, huh? Fitting.’_

The VIP section is no better, still too loud and too bright with too many people. “How are we going to find him?” Max shouts.

“Keep looking! He’s not answering his phone!”

Victoria drags Max through a group of people, all very wasted. They knock shoulders and step on toes but Victoria doesn’t seem to notice any of it.

“What’s she doing here?” a feminine voice calls and it’s only then that Victoria stops walking. “She’s not on my guest list.”

“Courtney,” Victoria sneers. “I made some last minute changes. You got a problem with that?”

Courtney stares at Max, disdain evident in her eyes. At least that’s not much different. “You know I hate when you do that.”

“Yeah, well, I hate when my bestie doesn’t get invited because you’re a whiny piss baby!” Victoria growls. “We’re looking for Nathan. Seen him?”

Courtney glares, clearly biting her tongue, but she doesn’t retort. “He’s with Hayden. Not smoking, mind you.” She directs her glare at Max. “Hasn’t done that ever since you came along, you know? He’s like a completely changed man,” she bites sarcastically.

“Something like that,” Max mutters under her breath.

Courtney doesn’t reply, not that Victoria gives her much time to. She drags Max though the crowd and into a more secluded seating area filled with half empty liquor bottles and a half dozen shit faced teenagers. Nathan sits among them, looking surprisingly sober.

“Nathan!” Victoria yells.

“Vickie!” Nathan strides over, smile wide and arms extended and it’s the single scariest thing Max has ever seen. “And Maxie! Glad you could make it!” He throws his arms around the two of them and it’s all Max can do not to scream. What. The. _Fuck_.

Victoria, at least, is completely unbothered. She grabs Nathan by the collar and tugs him along. “We need to talk to you.”

“Geez, Vic, chill,” Nathan says but he makes no effort to pull away from her. “Are you on your period or something?”

Victoria kicks open the locker room door with a surprising amount of force and all but throws the two inside. At least it’s quieter.

“Number one, no,” Victoria says, hand on her hip. “Number two, we need your help. You’re not high, are you?”

Nathan frowns. “You know it messes with my meds, Vic.”

Victoria sighs. “Just making sure.”

“Are you guys, like, okay?” Nathan asks, concern evident in his voice.

“We’re fine,” Max chimes in. “We just need to talk to you.”

“It’s about Rachel,” Victoria says.

“Rachel Amber?” Nathan says. “What about her?”

“What do you know about her?”

“Uh, that she used to go here and how she’s missing? What’s with you two? Why’s this important?”

“It just is, okay?” Max snaps. Nathan flinches and it’s so, so wrong.

“Look,” Victoria interjects. “To make a long story short, this Max isn’t our Max.”

Nathan blinks. “You lost me.”

Max fidgets, just short of pacing. She can’t believe she’s going to rely on Nathan fucking Prescott and that he actually seems willing to listen to what she has to say. “I’m not from here,” she says slowly. “I know it sounds crazy but you have to listen. I went back in time and I did something bad and now everything’s messed up. I think I can fix it but I need your help.”

Nathan gives her the same look Victoria did less than two hours ago. “You’re right, that does sound crazy.”

“Well, it’s true!” Max throws her hands up in frustration. She doesn’t have time to tell this whole story again. “Look outside, Nathan! Look at all the weird shit that’s been happening! There’s two moons! That’s not just weird weather, that’s me, fucking with the universe and messing up everything!”

Nathan bites his lip, eyes darting between Max and the floor like he's thinking about something. "And now a storm is on its way to wipe out the town," he whispers.

What?

_‘The storm, the one from my dreams, it’s really…?’_

But that… it can’t be.

“Look, okay, I believe you,” Nathan says. “I think… I think I can help, but we can’t talk here.”

“Nathan, what’s going on?” Victoria asks. “What do you mean there’s a storm coming?”

“I’ll tell you on the way.”

Nathan bolts from the room without giving either of them a chance to respond. They’ve got no choice but to follow.

* * *

Applause drown out the music only momentarily as Mark reads the name aloud _. ‘Odd,’_ he thinks to himself. Seems the winner of the Everyday Heroes contest is suspiciously absent and so are her friends.

Mark clicks his tongue. He’ll just have to tell her in person then.


	3. Chapter 3

"Dad had a storm shelter built a few months back," Nathan says as they pull up the long, winding driveway leading to the Prescott mansion.

Nathan's pickup truck is green in this universe. Same license plate, same model, same everything else, just green instead of red. It's such a small difference, like his blue jacket, Max isn't sure why it would change but it makes her uneasy all the same. Not as uneasy as the fact that he's actually being nice to her, but still...

_'Good to see his house is still the same...'_

"I just thought he was being overly prepared or something until all this freaky shit started happening," he finishes.

"This freaky shit just started happening like a week ago," Victoria interjects. “When did you say your dad had the shelter built?”

Nathan shrugs. “I don’t know, like a few months ago? Maybe April or May?”

Something clicks in Max’s brain. April or May, April or May… “Same time Rachel went missing,” she mumbles aloud. It’s too much of a coincidence not to be the case. But why?

“What _does_ she have to do with any of this anyway?” Nathan asks. “You said you were looking for her, right? Why?”

“We were looking for her back in my timeline,” Max says. “She was Chloe's... girlfriend. Or something, I don't know for sure. She was looking for her before, just when I came along..."

"You made things a hell of a lot easier, huh,” Victoria finishes, running a hand through her hair.

Max nods. "She’s… connected to all this. Somehow. Rachel missing, what happened to Kate-“

“Kate?” Nathan interrupts. “What happened to Kate? Other than… you know.”

Max stares at him but he doesn’t seem to be lying. Does he really not know? "She got dosed at a Vortex party,” she says. “Weren't you... I mean in my timeline it was you who..." She’s not sure why she’s so hesitant to say it. This Nathan and her Nathan – they can’t honestly be _that_ different. Can they?

“Who, me?” Nathan sputters indignantly. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know! You tell me!” Max shouts in return. She doesn’t know anything anymore! Nothing’s supposed to be this way! Nathan isn’t supposed to be helping her and Victoria isn’t supposed to be sitting next to her, warm and strong with such a sad look on her face. And it’s so frustrating because nothing makes sense but she can’t…

She can’t help but wonder what it could have been like in her own world. How could it have been? She and Victoria never needed to be enemies but could they really have been friends?

“Maxie, come on,” Nathan all but pleads and it’s just so _bizarre,_ it makes Max want to scream. “You know me. I wouldn’t do something like that.”

Max bites her lip. She _doesn’t_ know and that’s the whole problem. “Yeah, well,” she starts slowly. “Someone did something to her and it's the same person who did something to Rachel. Only Rachel never came back."

“Okay, fine,” Victoria says. “Doesn’t explain how is finding her is going to fix anything. Magic time travel powers notwithstanding, teenage girls can't generally influence the fucking weather."

"What else are we supposed to do?” Max says. “Even if Rachel can't fix everything, at least we're doing some good by finding her."

“If we find her.”

Max sighs heavily. “Victoria,” she warns.

"Hey, I'm just saying! She's been missing for months. Most of those people don't get found. Not alive anyway."

“Guess we’ll find out,” Nathan says, cutting the engine and ending any further discussion.

The three of them step out of the truck, Prescott’s mansion looking before them. The doors are far too large and the style is clearly too European for a town like Arcadia Bay but at least it’s the same. At least _this_ makes sense.

“Passcode’s gotta be somewhere in my old man’s office,” Nathan says. “In and out and he never has to know.”

Max lags behind as he and Victoria head for the door. The sky’s darker than before. When she looks, there aren’t two moons anymore – there isn’t a moon at all. It’s been completely blocked by thick, black clouds.

“Maxine,” Victoria calls. “You coming?”

Max hesitates. She feels… something. Like something’s coming.

She hurries to catch up with the others. They’re running out of time.

* * *

The study looks much the same as the rest of the house – large, clean, and clearly European styled. Book shelves line the walls, filled to the brim with priceless first edition dictionaries that have clearly never been opened yet there’s not a speck of dust on them. A single desk sits in the center of the room between two large windows. Between the windows, a portrait of the entire Prescott family hangs high above their heads. Despite the extra furniture and all the books, the room feels empty – hollow.

Nathan clicks on the light. It doesn’t help to alleviate the sense of emptiness. “It’s gotta be in his desk somewhere,” he mutters.

“Nathan?” someone calls from outside.

“Shit!” Victoria hisses.

“Keep looking,” Nathan whispers. He peeks his head outside. “I’ll distract him. Find the code and meet me outside, okay?”

With that, he clicks off the light and walks abruptly through the double doors, closing them softly behind him.

Victoria and Max exchange a glance before taking out their phones to use as flashlights. Well, _this_ could have gone better.

“Come on,” Victoria says. “Let’s just find it and go.”

She makes a beeline for the desk, leaving Max to sift through the bookshelves in silence. Outside, she can barely hear Nathan and his dad but she can’t make out what they’re saying. Wind beats against the windows, thunder rumbling in the distance.

“Anything?” Max asks after what feels like several minutes. It’s only been two, according to her phone.

“No,” Victoria snaps. “Just keep looking, okay? If I find anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

Max frowns, but does as she’s told. This is certainly different from this afternoon.

 _‘It’s what I’m used to at least,’_ she thinks to herself. The thought gives her little comfort.

It had been… weird, to say the least. Weird, confusing, a horrifying nightmare, really, finding herself in Victoria’s arms a half hour after being asked to kill her best friend. God, Chloe…

Max swallows thickly. What if this is really it? What if she can’t save Chloe this time? What if…?

“Hey,” Victoria calls gently and it’s only then that Max realizes she’s been crying. “You okay?”

Max wipes her eyes furiously. There’s no time for this; she has to focus. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m fine.”

Victoria’s quiet for a moment. “You know, you always do that,” she says. “You get this tunnel vision when you find something you wanna do and then nothing else matters and you won’t let any of us help you.”

“I…” Max isn’t sure what to say. She’s not the one Victoria’s talking about, not the Max she’d been friends with. How different are they? “What was she like?” she asks. “The other Max, what was she like?”

Victoria smiles sadly as Max gives her full attention. “Pretty much the same,” she says, riffling through the drawers. “Stubborn, a total nerd, absolutely no fashion sense.”

Max rolls her eyes. “Gee thanks.”

Victoria gives her a little teasing wink. “But I liked that about you, after we started talking,” she says. “You had this whole 'I don't care what anybody thinks of me' thing going on. Kind of admired that, you know?"

Max has to hold back a snort of disbelief. “You? Admire me?”

“I know, I can’t believe it either,” Victoria says. “But you were cool to me. You never made fun of my um... hobbies.”

Max’s mind flashes back to the pink box with the little anime character on it. She really did get that for Victoria, hadn’t she.

“I never had to worry about being perfect for you,” Victoria continues. “I could just be myself. I loved that about you."

Max bites her lip. This is kind of dangerous territory, isn’t it? "Did you... with me I mean, were we...?"

“Do you always jump to conclusions?”

Max doesn’t point out that jumping to conclusions is pretty much the only reason they’re here in the first place.

“For the record,” Victoria continues. “No, we’re just friends.”

Max feels her heart drop but she’s not really sure why.

“But I always wanted more.”

Oh.

Heat rises to Max’s cheeks and she can’t stop herself from smiling but she has no idea why this makes her happy the way it does. 

She doesn’t have time to dwell. Her phone buzzes a moment later, a text from Nathan reading ‘Get out now’ popping up on the screen.

Max feels the blood drain from her face. “We gotta go, like now.”

“Hang on.” Victoria pulls out a framed picture from the bottom drawer. “I might have found something.”

“Victoria, we don’t have anymore time.” Max jogs over to see her trying to pry the back off of the frame. Footsteps echo down the hallway. “We need to leave.”

“Just, give me a second, okay? I almost-“ _Snap!_ A small slip of paper falls out of the cracked frame. “Got it!”

Max grabs the paper and Victoria’s hand. “That’s awesome, but we gotta bail,” she says, dragging her to the window. She pries it open just as the doorknob starts to turn behind her. A gust of wind scatters every loose paper on the desk. It’s not the right time, yet, they should have more time.

The door flies open with a crack. Victoria leaps through the window, pulling Max down with her. “Hey!” Sean shouts behind them. “Who are you? What are you doing?”

“Shit!” There’s no time. They sprint down the driveway, Nathan’s green truck already running.

“Come on!” he shouts from the driver’s seat.

Then…

“Ahh!”

Max doubles over, white hot pain shooting through her head like a bullet. It’s too familiar, too much like the burning. Her vision blurs then fades then changes all together.

“Max?” Victoria’s shouts sound so distant. Max can barely hear her, can barely feel the strong grip around her shoulders.

Images flash. Wind and rain and thunder and lightning; a stray bench hits the lighthouse and knocks it down. Trees fall as the storm approaches the shoreline.

“Max! Get up!”

Max blinks and the images are gone. There’s a metallic taste on the tip of her tongue and she knows her nose is bleeding.

“Max, are you okay?” Victoria shouts, arms around Max’s waist, half carrying her the rest of the way to the truck.

“I… I think so,” Max whispers, voice ragged. “It’s here.”

A raindrop hits her face then another and then suddenly, it’s pouring and hailing. Lightning flashes overhead.

The storm is here.

* * *

Rain beats against the old barn like a Gatling gun, so ferocious Max is surprised it doesn’t completely tear the building from its foundation and carry it away. The front doors are locked, but there’s a hole in the wall barely covered by metal sheets.

“Why does your family even have a barn?” Max can’t help but ask once they’re inside.

Nathan shrugs. “Been in the family, I guess?” he says, heading to the other side of the barn. “Come on, it’s this way.”

Max makes to follow but Victoria catches her shoulder before she can. “Are you really okay?” she asks.

Max shifts her weight, not entirely sure how to respond. She’s not all right – she hasn’t been since she got here – but she can’t just stop now. Chloe, Rachel, the entire frigging town, they’re all counting on her right now.

“I’m fine,” she says.

Victoria bites her lip, less than convinced, but she lets the subject drop. “Just… if you start getting all weird again, tell us, okay? Let us help you.”

Max would have never thought Victoria would ever say those words but they’re surprisingly comforting. Maybe it’s the storm raging outside or the sense of dread that’s been hanging over her since before she even got here, but right now, Max is glad she has Victoria here with her.

She takes the hand on her shoulder and traces her thumb over Victoria’s fingers. “I will,” she says.

“Uh, guys?” Nathan calls. “Not to ruin your moment, but aren’t we in a hurry?”

Victoria gives Max a secret smirk and rolls her eyes. “Come on,” she says. “Can’t keep his highness waiting.”

Despite everything, Max cracks half a smile.

“It’s actually a cellar underneath the barn,” Nathan says as soon as they catch up. He kicks away some of the hay, revealing a metal trapdoor that’s way too new to fit with the rest of the barn. “One time, my dad asked me to bring some stuff over for the construction crew but I’ve never actually been all the way inside.”

Max kneels down to inspect the hatch but there’s not much to look at other than the heavy padlock keeping it shut. “Well, none of us are getting inside with this thing in the way.”

“Oh Max of little faith,” Nathan says, reaching into his pocket. Just when Max is about to ask, he pulls out a shiny, bronze key. “What did you think I was doing while you two were flirting in my dad’s study?”

“Uh, distracting him?” Victoria interjects, plucking the key from his hand. “No wonder we almost got caught.”

Nathan pouts at her. “Hey, I did the best I could. This was just a parting gift.”

“Where’d you even get it?” Max asks as Victoria hands her the key. It fits perfectly.

“It’s not like he was trying to hide it; it was right on the key ring with all the others.”

Max turns the key hesitantly. Something feels… off about all this.

Thunder crashes outside, shaking the barn to its core. They don’t have a choice anymore.

The lock pops off and Max opens the hatch, exposing a hidden staircase. No turning back now.

* * *

“Are you sure this is a storm shelter?” Victoria asks. “It looks more like a bomb shelter.”

It really does. There’s enough food, water, and supplies down here to last for weeks, if not months. “Just how long has he known about the storm, anyway?” Max whispers mostly to herself.

“Beats me,” Nathan answers anyway. He picks up a piece of paper set near the sink. “Good to see dear old dad leaves incredibly important personal documents just lying around. And never tells me about them in the first place.”

“We can deal with your daddy issues if we all survive this,” Victoria chides, walking past him and into the adjacent room. 

Nathan pouts but doesn’t respond. He pockets the paper anyway.

“Whoa,” Victoria’s voice comes from behind the curtain. “What the fuck is this?”

Max and Nathan hurry into the other room. It looks like a…

A photo shoot?

“What the fuck?” Max echoes, venturing further into the room. It’s just like a photo shoot – extra lighting, plain white background, even a giant printer worth several thousand dollars at minimum. “Why is all this even in here?”

“I haven’t… I’ve never seen any of this,” Nathan whispers, shock apparent. If this stuff isn’t for him, then who the hell’s been using it?

“Don’t suppose your dad has a secret photography hobby, does he?” Victoria asks, nervousness seeping into her voice.

“If he does, he hasn’t told me.”

Max inspects the room further but she finds herself wishing she hadn’t. There are… things here, things that don’t belong here. Newspaper articles about Rachel going missing and Kate’s… suicide, a whole host of drugs and needles that look almost like… “Sedatives?”

_Bang!_

A sudden crash startles Max out of her reverie.

“What the fuck was that?” Victoria gasps.

_Bang!_

Another crash, almost like something hitting something else. Max whips around and stares at the cabinet behind the desk.

_Bang!_

A third hit and something like… muffled screaming?

“Someone’s in there,” she realizes.

“Maxine, wait!”

She doesn’t. She can’t. She sprints for the door and throws it open without a second thought. Something soft, like… like a person falls out and into her arms.

Rachel…?

“Oh my god…”

It… it is. It’s really her…

Rachel looks up at her, eyes wide with fear. There’s a bruise on her cheek and duct tape over her mouth, binding her arms and legs, but she’s alive. _She’s really alive_.

“Rachel…” Max whispers. She can’t believe it. After all this time…

She helps Rachel down to the floor and tears the tape from her mouth before setting to work unbinding her hands and feet. She hardly notices when the other two make their way over to her. This is just… Rachel’s really _alive_. She’s _alive_ and they _found her_.

Rachel coughs, trying to clear her throat but it sounds too dry. “We…” she tries to say but it’s so hard to hear her. Has she been down here all these months? “We have to… we have to go…”

“We will,” Nathan says. He kneels down, pocket knife in hand, and starts on the tape binding her limbs.

“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Victoria says. She fidgets, glancing between Max on the floor and the doorway leading to the bunker filled with supplies. “We need to go like right now.”

“Almost done,” Nathan says, cutting through the tape tying Rachel’s ankles. 

“Are you okay?” Max asks Rachel but she seems half asleep. “Can you walk?”

Rachel nods, slowly, eyes unfocused. “I… I think so,” she says. She tries to get to her feet but her legs collapse from underneath her.

“Don’t force yourself,” Nathan says. He loops an arm under her shoulders and helps her to her feet again.

“We… we need to-“ Rachel coughs, cutting herself off. “There’s a storm… it’s…”

“Kinda late for that, don’t you think?” Victoria chimes in.

Rachel’s eyes widen. “What? But it’s… it’s too soon…”

“Apparently not,” Victoria snaps. “Whatever, can we just get-“

A gunshot cracks through the air, louder than any storm could ever be.

No…

Blood spatters – on the walls, on the floor, on Max's face.

No, this…

Victoria falls to the ground, lifeless.

No, it… this…

_‘No, no, no this can't be happening!’_

"Victoria..." Max's voice is strangled.

This can’t… how could…

Tears blur her vision, legs refusing to hold her weight anymore. She collapses to the ground and Victoria's right there, _she's right there_ , but she's not... It... it can't... she can't...

"Do try to control yourselves," a cold, all too familiar voice says calmly. Across the room, blocking the entrance to the bunker, Mr. Jefferson stands, gun in hand, indifferent frown plastered across his face. "We have a lot to talk about."


	4. Chapter 4

_‘Go back.’_

The world slows down around her, falling away.

_‘Just… just go back.’_

All she sees is red – red and white melting together, cold lifeless eyes staring up at her.

_‘Please, she can’t… she can’t be dead. You have to go back. You have to save her!’_

She tries and tries and tries but the burning never comes – the world hasn’t really stopped, has it?

She can’t go back anymore.

Max can’t stop the tears from falling. She’s done this before, she should be able to _fix_ this but she can’t…

Max reaches out for Victoria but she can’t touch her. She wants to wants to hold her, to say she’s sorry, but it’s too late, isn’t it. She… she can’t…

“I never wanted it to come to this,” Jefferson's detached voice echoes through room. “When I saw you three leave the party early, I had my suspicions but I didn’t really think you’d come here. ‘Til Sean called me.”

“What do you want?” Nathan spits through gritted teeth. He’s crying, too.

Jefferson clicks his tongue. “Nineteen eleven forty five ACP holds about eight rounds, though I’m not much of a gun guy myself,” he says slowly. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

Nathan reluctantly sinks down beside Max, setting Rachel in between. She coughs again and Max thinks she might see blood but it could just be Victoria’s and the thought makes her gag.

“What do you want?” Nathan asks again, quiet and defeated.

“Me?” Jefferson walks a little further into the room and leans casually against the desk, as if he didn’t just murder someone in cold blood. “I already got what I wanted. It’s happening right now.”

Rachel flinches and edges closer to Max and there’s… something. Something happens. The room flashes, just for a moment. It’s quick, too quick to tell, but it feels like… like a hiccup or something.

Is this… is Rachel doing this?

“You know,” Jefferson continues. “Your father wanted to let you in on this at first. He said that you could be useful; you could get close but not too close. He said he could control you. Then of course, Miss Caulfield came along and well, plans do sometimes need to be subject to change.”

Nathan recoils as if he’s just been hit. “What does my dad have to do with this?”

“Well, you see.” He pauses, kicking off the table and taking a step forward. “He and I had a mutually beneficial agreement. All I wanted to do was take pictures but Sean? Sean was looking for something. A very special someone with a very special gift.”

He raises the gun and points it at Rachel. Max instinctively curls herself around the girl shaking beside her. She won’t let him kill her - not her, too.

Jefferson smirks. “It was just luck that Rachel came along and took my class. I just wanted a new model but, well, of course you already know what she can do. After finding out about it, we just had to keep her."

Max catches the glint of metal out of the corner of her eye but she doesn’t dare tear her gaze away from Jefferson.

"Course, then all this shit started happening,” he says. “Freak snow storm, dead animals, and a huge storm that she knew all about. I always thought it was her doing, but it was actually you, wasn't it?" He raises the gun, pointing it right at Max’s head. "It's been you all along."

Max tightens her grip around Rachel. “You don’t understand,” she forces out even though her throat’s so tight it feels like she’s choking. “The storm is going to wipe out the whole town.”

"Oh, I understand, Max. I know very well what it's going to do. Should make a pretty picture, don't you think?"

The room flashes again, red hued and burning. Max gasps. Beside her, Rachel’s pupils dilate, teeth chattering and nose bloody.

“…pretty picture, don’t you think?” Jefferson says again and holy shit, _holy shit_. “It’s a shame you won’t be around to see it.” He cocks his gun.

Suddenly, Nathan rushes Jefferson, knife clenched in his fist, and tackles him to the ground with a grunt. “Go!” he shouts.

To her surprise, it’s Rachel who grabs Max and hauls her to her feet. “We need to go!” She drags Max away from the scene, away from Victoria and Nathan, and toward the door with surprising strength but her legs are still too unsteady. She stumbles, leaving Max to catch her.

“We can’t just leave him!” Max pleads.

A hard crack echoes as Jefferson hits Nathan with the butt of his pistol, knocking him to the floor.

“We have to!” Rachel urges.

A second gunshot thunders through the bunker.

“No!” Max wails. Not now, not again! This wasn’t supposed to happen! None of this was supposed to happen!

“You’re really more trouble than you’re worth,” Jefferson snarls, turning the gun on them. “Sean can go fuck himself; I’m not letting you ruin this.”

He pulls the trigger and then it happens again. The world tinges red right before Max’s eyes, steadily rewinding around her but it’s not her doing.

Beside her, Rachel holds out her free arm, haze eyes burning with determination.

She’s the one doing this.

Max swallows her anguish. There’s still time. There’s still something she can do to fix this.

“Go!” Nathan’s repeated shout signals an end to the rewind.

Max doesn’t hesitate. She grabs Rachel around the waist and half carries her to the security door, gunshot echoing like thunder behind them.

_‘I’m sorry,’_ she says in her mind, hoping beyond hope that they might hear her. _‘I’m so sorry. But I promise, I’m going to make it right.’_

* * *

The storm rages on, blocking out the sun as it completely engulfs the town. Rain torrents all around them, made sharp by gale force winds, soaking them instantly.

Max has to shield her eyes from the rain, making it even harder to see. Thunder cracks overhead but she can hardly hear it over the wind. “We have to keep moving!” she shouts above all the noise in her ears.

Rachel coughs into her hand, blood seeping through her fingers. She can’t keep this up for much longer.

“Just keep moving!” Max yells.

She hoists Rachel further into her arms and drags her into the forest. Behind her, Max can just barely hear Jefferson's shouts. “You can’t hide forever!”

Fallen trees litter the ground, making it almost impossible to go any further. Rachel’s not strong enough to walk on her own and Max isn’t strong enough to carry her to safety. Jefferson keeps shouting, closer then further away and Max can’t tell if that’s just because of the wind or not.

_‘Keep moving,_ ’ she tells herself but she can’t. Her lungs burn and her legs are numb and even if _she_ could keep moving, Rachel can’t.

Max stops behind a wide oak tree, shielding them from the wind. She sits Rachel beneath the tree and scours for any sign of Jefferson. It’s useless, though. She can’t see two feet in front of her.

Rachel coughs again, blood pouring from her throat. “Y-you know,” she sputters. “I always… f-figured I would go out… in a blaze of glory.” She manages a dry humorless laugh. “N-never would h-have thought… A storm… is a pretty good substitute.”

“We-we can still fix this!” Max says desperately. “I just, I need your help!”

“We can’t fix this!” Rachel all but screams. “There's no fixing this! Everything's fucked and it's all my fault!”

“It’s not your fault!” Max pleads. “It's mine! I went back and I changed everything and now everything’s fucked! But we can still fix it! Just, please! Please help me!”

“Where are you, Maxine?” Jefferson shouts somewhere in the distance.

_‘Shit!’_

There’s no more time. Max takes out the photo that started all of this in the first place. She can’t even recognize the smiling girls staring back at her. “If I can go back, I can fix this, but I need you to help me!”

Rachel takes the photo and stares at it, something like nostalgia in her eyes. “Can you really…?”

Max bites her lip. Can she really…?

“I don’t know,” she says. “But I have to try.”

“I’m going to find you!” He’s closer, now, too close.

Rachel glances between Max and the picture. “Okay,” she says. “How do we do this?”

“I don’t know.” Max grabs her hand and stares at the picture. “You need to focus. Focus on it and try to use your power.”

Rachel squeezes her hand so hard it hurts but Max doesn’t even think to let go. She focuses on the picture, remembers the day vividly. _‘Go back,’_ she demands in her mind.

Footsteps squish against the muddy ground somewhere behind them.

_‘Go back.’_

The world hues red, the familiar burning firing away at every synapse in her body. She feels herself being pulled away, taken to a time from long ago. Memories flash and burn away like pictures in a slideshow.

She’s going back.

* * *

The wet ground softens even the most frantic footsteps but she still hears them coming. "I found you." Jefferson's cold voice sends a chill down her spine. The barrel of a gun presses hard against the back of her head.

"You found me," Rachel chokes out through her tears. "But you'll never find her."

A torn photograph of two smiling girls falls from her hands only to be immediately carried away by the storm.

_‘See you on the other side.’_

A gunshot echoes like thunder.


	5. Chapter 5

It’s an all too familiar sensation, waking up in a body that isn’t quite her own.

Max smiles as the camera flashes. She buries her guilt along with her grief. She knows what has to happen – she knows how to fix this – but that doesn’t make it any easier.

“Huh, that’s weird,” William says. “Looks like it didn’t take.”

What?

“Well, sorry, girls.” William smiles sadly and hands Max the photo but it’s… it’s completely blank.

_‘I can’t come back again.’_

“Someday Dad’ll get one of them newfangled computers,” Chloe says, all smiles and it’s exactly the same.

“I hope the flash didn’t scare you, Max,” William says. “I’ll have to see if there’s something wrong with this old thing later.”

It’s the only thing that’s different as far as Max can tell. William still gets the call, he still can’t find his keys at first, he still…

“Max, you’ll be here, right?”

_‘Yeah…’_

Max wipes the tears from her eyes before Chloe can see them.

“Max, you are acting so fucking strange today,” Chloe says. “Like you’re never gonna see us again.”

“Chloe,” Max croaks, unable to keep her voice from shaking. _‘You can’t come back anymore,’_ she tells herself.

Max swallows. Rachel’s still missing and there’s still a storm headed for the town. But she knows more than that now, doesn’t she? Rachel…

Max steels her resolve. She can’t go back anymore. This is her last chance to make things right. “Chloe, you have to listen to me.”

“Uh, okay? What’s wrong, Max? Are you okay?”

“Chloe, Rachel’s in a bunker underneath the Prescott barn.”

Chloe stares at her, completely baffled. “Uh, what? Who are you talking about? Did you have a weird dream or something?”

“No, look, Chloe, you have to remember okay?” Max begs. “Rachel’s in the bunker underneath the Prescott barn. The passcode is 542. Ask Nathan, he knows where it is.”

“Max, you’re scaring me. Who’s Rachel?”

Max feels herself being pulled away. The memory is fading too quickly. “Just promise me you’ll remember, okay? Please! Just promise!”

“Okay, okay! I’ll remember! Even though I have no idea who the fuck you’re talking about.”

The world tinges around her. _‘Not yet, just a little bit longer.’_

“And Chloe,” Max says. There’s too much to say but she has no time. She won’t be coming back again. “No matter what happens, I want you to be strong. Even if you feel like I wasn’t there for you… because I will never abandon you. Don’t forget. I’ll always have your back. Always.”

* * *

Max wakes up in her own bed, in her own body, to her phone buzzing. She grabs it without checking the caller ID, far too exhausted to care. “Hullo?” she answers, sleep still thick in her voice.

“Morning, sleepy head,” a familiar famine voice sing songs over the line.

Max sits bolt upright. There’s no way. She’s… she’s gotta be dreaming. “Rachel?”

“Uh, yeah?” the voice says and it’s definitely her. She’s really alive? Does that mean…?

“Hey, gimme the phone!” Chloe’s voice comes over the line. “Maximus rex! You gonna meet us for breakfast or what? Bacon waits for no Max!”

Max hand shakes around her phone. She fingers hurt from gripping it too tightly just so she doesn’t drop it. They’re really…?

Max feels tears well up in her eyes. “H-hey,” she says. “Weird question. How’s the weather been lately?”

“Fine?” Chloe says. “It was like sixty yesterday, weren’t you, you know, there?”

“The leaves are starting to change!” Rachel says. “We’re gonna go leaf viewing like a bunch of old ladies in like two weeks, just wait!”

Chloe groans. “You are so gay.”

“Look who’s talking,” Max says, heart swelling. Things are okay here, aren’t they? She really…

“Hardy har har,” Chloe laughs sarcastically. “Don’t be jealous just because that girl you’ve been crushing on for like a month hasn’t even looked at you.”

Crush? Max is far too overjoyed to worry about who that might be right now. They’re _alive_ and things are _okay_.

Things are okay.

* * *

Breakfast at the Two Whales Diner is completely uneventful for once in Max’s recent life.

No one mentions time travel or strange weather or even the Prescotts. Rachel and Chloe feed each other pancakes and it’s so sickeningly adorable, Max can’t help but smile the entire time.

She’s too happy that Chloe’s walking and alive and happy, she can hardly be jealous over Rachel.

Rachel, Rachel… this is really the first time they’re meeting, isn’t it? She’s pretty cool, just from what Max can gather in their short interaction. She treats Max like a best friend. Who knows? Maybe they are. She keeps giving Max these little secret looks like they share an inside joke that Chloe doesn’t know about. Max isn’t quite sure _she_ knows about it either.

Rachel hangs back with her on the way to Chloe’s truck. “So,” she drawls nonchalantly. “Pretty nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?”

Max gives her a sidelong glance. “Looks like it, yeah,” she says.

Rachel bumps her shoulder. “Must be pretty confusing,” she says with a wink. “I’ll fill you in later.”

Max sighs. “Thanks,” she says. “I was going crazy acting like I knew what the hell was going on.”

Rachel snorts in good humor. “You don’t have to worry anymore, I don’t think.” She glances at Chloe, smile softening. “You really did fix it.”

Max smiles, following Rachel’s gaze. “At least it’s over,” she says. “It is over, right? You can’t still…?”

Rachel shakes her head. “Sadly, I cannot. Ah well, for the best really. Who knew fucking with time and space would be such a drag?”

“Hey, slowpokes!” Chloe shouts from the driver’s seat. “Stop flirting and get in here! We got mayhem to cause!”

Rachel rolls her eyes but her smile never fades.

Max bites her lip. “You really love her, huh?”

“Yeah,” Rachel says. “I do. Kinda feel like I stole her from you, though. Sorry, about that.”

Max shakes her head. “Chloe makes her own choices. I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. I’m glad she had someone like you.”

Rachel throws her arm around Max’s shoulder. “Maxine, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”

“It’s Max,” she says almost reflexively. “That reminds me, though, is there a geek shop around here?”

* * *

Language of Photography features a teacher who is distinctly not Mr. Jefferson, for which Max is infinitely grateful. But there’s one other person missing, for which Max is less grateful.

Kate catches her after class and asks if she wants to go for tea next weekend. Max happily accepts.

“Hey,” Max calls just as they’re about to part ways. “Have you uh, seen Victoria around?”

“I think she’s still not feeling well,” Kate says, concerned frown crossing her lips. “I was going to bring her tea but I didn’t think she’d accept it. She’s still pretty down after… what happened.”

Max nods slowly. Mr. Jefferson and Sean Prescott may have been hauled off to jail for kidnapping, but Nathan went with them. According to Rachel, he’s getting help – real help – for his mental illness but she’s not sure he’ll come back to Blackwell. “I remembered how he saved us,” she’d said. “Chloe said he helped her get me out so I don’t think they’re going to charge him but still. Kinda hope he comes back. Mend a few bridges, ya know?”

Max had nodded at the time. It might be nice, making friends. At the very least, they don’t need to be enemies.

This train of thought, of course, leads her right to Victoria’s door, little pink box in hand.

“What do you want, Caulfield?” she says as soon as she opens the door.

Max can’t help herself. She drops the box and throws her arms around Victoria’s neck before she can think twice about it. She’s here and she’s alive and maybe she’s not the same but that’s fine. She likes this one, too.

“Uh…” is all Victoria can muster.

Max pulls away, face flushed and vision blurry and she doesn’t want to do something stupid like cry right now. “Sorry,” she says. “Just wanted to check in.”

Victoria rolls her eyes, her own cheeks a nice shade of pink. “I’m fine, if you must know. Now leave. I don’t need geek squad services today.”

Max snickers despite herself. “Speaking of, I actually brought you something.” She picks up the box she’d dropped and hands it to Victoria – a brand spanking new three hundred dollar Ultimate Madoka figurine.

Victoria’s eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. “But how…? Why…?”

Max bites her lip to stop herself from grinning too much. “You know, you should have more confidence in the things you like,” she says. “I think these are neat.”

Victoria stands there, mouth agape for a second. “How did you even know?”

Max shrugs. “You know, in another life, we would have made a great pair.”

Victoria doesn’t seem to know what to say to that. That’s fine. Max turns to head back down the hall to her own room. They’ll see each other again.

“Hey!” Victoria calls when Max is already halfway down the hall. “Who said it had to be another life?”

Max grins, cheeks flushing.

_‘We’ll definitely see each other again.’_

 

THE END


End file.
